Business Law Section Weekly Newsletter
The Executive Council will meet virtually on October 1, 2020. All BLS members are welcome. Visit the website to register.
BLS in the News
BLS to diversify its education program panels, the first Florida Bar Section to formalize a speaker diversity policy.
Judicial Roundtable
Did you miss this outstanding program during the Labor Day Meetings?
Blog: The Bankruptcy Bubble: Has It Finally “Burst”?

On August 11, 2020, Stein Mart announced it had filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11, following an extensive list of prestigious retail brands that had done the same in 2020: Tailored Brands, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Brooks Brothers, to name a few. However, unlike most of the retail bankruptcies of 2020, Stein Mart is closing most of its almost 300 stores.

While changing consumer habits initiated the decline of many brick-and-mortar brands in 2019 (i.e., Payless and Gymboree), the unprecedented demise of many brands in 2020 can surely be blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. Even with increased reopenings, numbers still are stagnating (see, e.g., Disney’s third quarter earnings, showing a net loss of $4.72 billion, resulting from almost a billion dollars less in expected revenue). And retail is not the only market suffering, as many restaurants are on the brink of permanent closure as well.
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...
Here’s a throwback to our June meeting when the BLS honored Immediate Past Chair Jay Brown. Woody Pollock, Michael Chesal, and Jay’s son Ben put together a Gilligan’s Island themed video featuring many members of the Executive Council in full costume singing songs and reciting creative verse. Check it out here!
The Business Law Section has a proud tradition of submitting articles for publication in the Florida Bar Journal. In fact our Section has submitted articles for each of the six annual issues of the Florida Bar Journal in the last two years. The Section is looking for volunteers for next year, beginning with the January/February 2021 edition. To be published the Journal must receive the article no later than November 1, 2020, which means drafts of the articles should be submitted to the CLE Committee of the Business Law Section for editing no later than October 15, 2020.

If you or someone in your firm is interested, please contact Robert Charbonneau, rpc@agentislaw.com
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Got any other news to share with your fellow BLS Members?
Kacy Donlon, Chair-Elect of the Business Law Section
1. I'm scared of snakes
2. I earned a varsity letter in college from the trampoline team
3. My favorite movie is The Sound of Music
Judge Specie
1. According to those who know me, I can "whisper" to dogs and horses
2. My hobby that I could never give up is running marathons
3. My favorite movie is Miracle on 34th Street
Dineen Wasylik, DPW Legal
1. The hobby I could never give up is doing puzzles with my kids
2. The most interesting place I've visited is Budapest
3. I was able to trace my family history and sit in the same cafe where my grandfather formed his plans to travel to America 60 years prior.